NOVEL NEXT Chapter 214: Happy birthday, Prince Rian!
Ren Xiyang sat down and put his briefcase on the table. He opened it up and took out a moderately thick folder. “This is the draft census report,” he said. “The team is still finalising the written content and figures, but the numbers should be correct.”
“All the better to offend some nobles,” Rian said. “Do you want me to read it now?”
“No.” The next thing Ren Xiyang pulled out were maps of Sedaveria.
Rian leaned in curiously.
“Since our summer schedule hasn’t been locked in yet, let’s plan a short holiday, just the two of us,” Ren Xiyang said. “Then, we could plan our other travel around it.”
Rian’s eyes brightened. “That’s a lovely idea, Yangyang!”
“Is there somewhere you want to go?”
Rian pointed at one spot on the map. “There are natural hotsprings here, we could bathe together without going to the Hraun Nation.” He then pointed to another part of the map. “But the beaches down here are beautiful, even more beautiful than the Hraun Nation beaches…this rainforest has a lot of plants, I’m sure you’ll like it…”
Rian listed off over ten different locations they could go, his expression becoming increasingly conflicted. There were romantic places, places with plants, and places where they could get naked together…Which should he choose?
“Let’s go to all of them. Not this year, but over the coming years,” Ren Xiyang said. “And don’t forget about the honeymoon trip.”
“Of course,” Rian said. That meant he had to save the best for the honeymoon. That didn’t make the choice any easier. “Let me think about it.” He also took the maps. “What other work do you want me to do?”
Ren Xiyang deadpanned, “Rian, it’s the evening before your birthday. I’m not actually going to make you work. I thought we could go stargazing, or a fly around the night.”
Rian’s heart swelled with love. He leaned over and kissed Ren Xiyang’s lips. Ren Xiyang tilted his head, deepening the kiss.
A few minutes later, Rian pulled back. He took out a convenient small and fluffy flying carpet from a secret compartment, cast cloaking spells over them, and escaped via the window.
The flying carpet was their little secret, an invention that they didn’t plan to bring to the market. With it, they didn’t need to focus on maintaining flight.
Outside, it was dark, but not cold, as Ren Xiyang wrapped a layer of warm air around them. Rian snuggled up close regardless and tangled their fingers together.
When they lay down on the carpet, they could see the stars above. When they looked over the edge of the carpet, they could see the lights—like stars—below. As it were, they sat together on the carpet, and let the carpet do a slow loop around the entire city.
Don’t you feel that time has gone by fast? Ren Xiyang thought slowly.
I wish it would go faster, Rian replied. He sent Ren Xiyang images of his future wedding plans, his future coronation, their future as handsome middle-aged men…
Ren Xiyang: “…”
Those days will come, faster than you expect, Ren Xiyang thought drily.
When I’m with you, it feels like time slows down and I could drown in your eyes, Rian thought sweetly.
While gazing at the stars and the city, they started thinking about their future life together. How they would expand their quarters at the Rosewood manor and the Imperial Palace to accommodate the other. How Rian would intensify the degree of matching in their clothes. How their days would simply go by, once their relationship was announced and they were out of the academy…
By the time they returned to Rian’s quarters, both of them were feeling relaxed and sleepy.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ren Xiyang said.
“Yes.”
Rian would have liked to sleep with his limbs wrapped around Ren Xiyang, but now was not the right time.
He played with Ren Xiyang’s hand one last time, before letting him leave.
The moment Ren Xiyang woke up, he reached out telepathically for Rian in the Imperial Palace.
He was met with a groggy Rian.
Happy birthday, Your Highness, he sent. This makes me the first to wish you a happy birthday today, doesn’t it?
Ren Xiyang could feel Rian become much more awake in an instant.
Hm! Rian’s happiness and satisfaction pulsed down the telepathic connection.
Ren Xiyang sent feelings of warmth back.
Before breakfast, Ren Xiyang came over to the Imperial Palace, dressed appropriately, to sit down for a portrait painting with Rian. The artist had already begun a few days previously, but would start seriously finishing it today.
“Happy birthday, Your Highness,” Ren Xiyang said.
“Thank you,” Rian’s smile deepened.
They sat on two chairs placed close together, while the artist painted them from an angle. Rian’s blue jacket contrasted nicely with Ren Xiyang’s red coat.
At the end of the session, the artist had finished with their faces and filled out the clothes.
Ren Xiyang and Rian then went to breakfast with the rest of the Imperial Family.
King Edric gave Ren Xiyang a pointed look.
Ren Xiyang, who couldn’t communicate with King Edric via mere glances, politely nodded back and talked with Queen Mira and Alexius.
This year, Rian had organised the creation of wondrous and amazing ice sculptures of spring and summer scenes, baby animals, and miniatures of famous buildings around the kingdom. These sculptures were placed on both palace grounds and in the main square of the Capital. With sculptures in the main square, the commoners could also celebrate Rian’s birthday.
At mid-morning, the guests started to arrive at the Palace bearing gifts. After they gave their gifts and birthday greetings to Rian, they entered the ice sculpture garden at the Palace.
Musicians played music in the background, and staff circulated around, serving light snacks. With ice sculptures to admire and other people to talk and network with, the guests could occupy their time while Rian continued accepting more gifts.
Ren Xiyang’s public gift for Rian was a stack of ‘vouchers’ that Rian could use to have Ren Xiyang cook for him.
“Our weekly dinner on Monday doesn’t count,” Ren Xiyang said graciously.
“How very generous,” Rian said, curling up his lips.
Once all the guests had arrived and all the gifts were received, there was a big lunch. This was followed by all the guests gathering into the palace’s duelling stadium.
These days, Rian found that he loved duelling against other people with Ren Xiyang, even more than competing against Ren Xiyang. Thus, this year, instead of organising a display duel between himself and Ren Xiyang, he found people who wanted to duel against him and Ren Xiyang.
Rian had put out an expression-of-interest call previously, with no size limit on teams. Out of a dozen applications, Rian picked three teams to duel against.
He and Ren Xiyang changed to exactly matching duelling outfits, in white and gold.
I knew you’ll look handsome in white! Rian looked at Ren Xiyang affectionately.
That bodes well for the future wedding, Ren Xiyang replied.
Hehe, how did you know what I was thinking?
I know you well.
Rian’s lips curled up.
King Edric found it really difficult to look at his son and Earl Rosewood silently flirting with each other. “Rian, Earl Rosewood, are you ready?” he said tightly.
“We’re ready,” Rian said. He briefly touched Ren Xiyang’s back, nudging him forward. They walked out of the preparation room they were in and onto the stage.
The first team was Alexius and his friends. They also wore matching uniforms in blue, and Alexius looked full of excitement and determination.
“Teams, take your positions,” Queen Mira announced.
“Let the duel begin!”
The ground fractured beneath their feet and the air glinted as Tierri and Günter turned the airspace into a dangerous field of rock and sharp ice shrapnel. A tornado of ice formed while the shadows rapidly expanded, turning the duelling field into a dark pit.
GRRR CRACK CRACK—
Ren Xiyang and Rian took a step forward in unison. A wall of earth rose and rushed forward, clearing rock and ice from the air. In the next breath, they formed a net of fire that burned the shadows back.
WHOOSH!
A tornado of ice shards rushed towards them. In a blink of an eye, Rian flew one way, and Ren Xiyang flew the other way. The ice shards flung out, a deadly storm of ice arrows—
FWOOSH!
Ice turned into steam.
C-RACK BOOM!
Ren Xiyang’s lightning crackled through the steam and across the field. It slammed into a shield formed by Alexius, Günter, Tierri and Adrienne. Amazingly, the shield held.
Rian’s lips curled up. A beat later, ice spears rose from the ground beneath Alexius and his friends’ feet. Alexius, Günter, Tierri and Adrienne all jumped up, taking flight.
But they weren’t more agile in the air than Ren Xiyang and Rian.
Ren Xiyang drew up a net of plasma. Rian extended his hand and lightning burst out, turning the net brightly visible, and forcing Alexius and Günter to a corner.
Ren Xiyang raised a shield to block Alexius and Günter’s combined ice attack, while Rian turned around in a split second, formed an ice sword in his hand, and struck Tierri.
“Crown Prince Rian has taken out Lord Tierri Mauveine!”
Adrienne immediately raised shadows. Their ‘limbs’ extended, sharpening to points—
CRACKLE—B-B-B—
Ren Xiyang and Rian swapped positions. Fire burst from the ground, slicing through Adrienne’s shadows.
Adrienne weaved through the air, deftly dodging. Shadow magic formed between her hands.
In the same instant, a long whip of fire grew from Ren Xiyang’s hand. He slashed it through the air, disrupting Adrienne’s movement. Adrienne quickly recovered while launching her attack at the same time.
Ren Xiyang’s whip of fire suddenly changed direction—it wasn’t a whip at all, after all—and slashed straight through the Adrienne’s attack.
Then, the whip of fire thickened, vaguely taking on the shape of a dragon. It opened its mouth and rushed towards Adrienne, growing bigger and bigger.
Alexius and Günter tried to provide assistance, but Rian got in the way, leaving Adrienne to face the massive fire dragon alone.
“Earl Ayden Rosewood has taken out Lady Adrienne Obsidian!”
Rian took control of Ren Xiyang’s fire and turned it to Günter.
“Crown Prince Rian has taken out Lord Günter Blewitt!”
Alexius gritted his teeth. He called on all his power, every single last drop, on a massive pure magic attack on Rian.
Ren Xiyang and Rian’s fused their magic together to block Alexius’s attack.
Alexius’s eyes widened.
Rian’s ice sword appeared again, striking the magically-exhausted Alexius.
“Crown Prince Rian has taken out Prince Alexius!”
“The duel has now ended, with victory to Crown Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood!”
Alexius slumped, defeated.
Rian’s smile widened. “Good game, Alexius. You’re getting better.”
“Thanks,” Alexius said drily.
The second team had six members, four of whom were from the team that had come second in duelling tournament last year, in the top power bracket.
And the last team consisted of Ren Xiyang’s “rivals”, including people like Anthony Fulvous who had been defeated by Ren Xiyang in a duel years ago (they considered themselves rivals, but Ren Xiyang didn’t care that much).
Rian’s eyes were bright and intent.
—That rush of adrenalin when the duels started.
—That rush of deep joy when Rian’s magic merged with Ren Xiyang’s to produce a more powerful attack.
—That feeling of flow when they coordinated their attacks together, when one defended and the other attacked, when they seamlessly switched over their roles.
The feeling to working together with Ren Xiyang to defeat a common opponent was a hundred times more addictive than fighting against him.
Fire, water, ice, wind, earth, metal and lightning were thrown around the duelling field. Explosions clouded the arena as attacks collided mid-air. Each BOOM! made the audience’s hearts thud.
“The duel has now ended, with victory to Crown Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood!”
“The duel has now ended, with victory to Crown Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood!”
Applause burst across the stadium.
Rian smiled warmly and raised his hand to wave at everyone. He grabbed Ren Xiyang’s hand and raised it too to wave at everyone.
The applause and cheers became louder.
Anthony Fulvous and his team cursed. They felt like they were so close! They should have gathered more people!
Count Aegean breathed a sigh of relief. When the duelling field had gotten full of smoke from all the attacks, he had become extremely nervous.
Alexius, seated in the stands, pouted. “Why does Rian get stronger so quickly, it’s not fair.”
“You’ve also become more powerful,” Tierri comforted him.
This year, Alexius had tried to go as fast and as hard as they could, right away, since he knew they couldn’t win a duel of attrition. But while he and his friends had become better at pooling their magic together to form seamless attacks and shields, Rian had gotten better at that too.
Some people in the audience were already thinking about how they would have defeated Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood. Next year, next year, maybe they could form a team and show that those two weren’t unbeatable and achieve fame!
Meanwhile, an (undercover) author in the stadium curled her lips up. She suddenly had a new story idea…friends to lovers…friends who duel together in the field, and off it too. She’ll brainstorm it further before submitting the concept to the mysterious book commissioner. But she was certain that with enough sex, it’ll definitely be accepted.
After the duel, Rian and Ren Xiyang went back to Rian’s quarters to wash up and change clothes. They didn’t dally for too long, continuing with the day’s schedule: afternoon tea, late afternoon leisurely conversation, and the birthday dinner.
Because of the academy classes the following day, the birthday dinner did not go for too long. It also give Rian an excuse to return to the academy with Ren Xiyang after dinner.
Once the door closed…
“Because it’s my birthday, you’ll listen to me tonight,” Rian said.
Ren Xiyang laid back in bed, his long black hair spilling across the pillows. “Hm. You only turn 17 twice, after all. Tell me what you want me to do.”
And so, Rian had a perfect ending to his birthday~
Rian: (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
The person who suffered the most in the making of this chapter: King Edric.
Thank you to Coffeezombie for the support!
These last few weeks I’ve been so sleep deprived…I need to learn from Wen Zhihao… Even Ren Xiyang would tell me that sleep is necessary to work better…
website | tumblr | twitter | email newsletter